Recording-anemoscope



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet V1.

W. H. CHILDS.

RECORDING ANEMOSCOPE. No. 364,802. Patented June 14, 1887.

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(No Model.) 2 sheet-sheet 2;

W. H. CHILDS..

RECORDING ANEMOSGOPE. K No. 364,802. PatentedlJune 14, 1887.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT OEEieE.

VALTER H. CHILDS, OF BRATTLEBOROUGH, VERMONT.

RECORVDlNG-ANEMOSCOPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,802, dated June 14, 1887.

Application filed December 2f, 1586. Serial No. 222,862. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, XVALTER H. CuILDs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brattleborough, in the county of Windham and State of Vermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Recording-Anellioscopes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to instruments for recording the varying directions of the wind at different times. An instrument for this pnrpose which is 'accurate and reliable in its op eration, and which may be easily read, is adesideratum with meteorologists.

The object of my invention is to produce an anemoscope of simple and cheap construction which shall fulfill these essential conditions.

The preferred form of my'improved anemoscope is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereiny Figure l is aside elevation of the instrument. Fig. 2 isa plan thereof in section 011 the line 2 2 in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side ele- 'vation looking in the opposite direction from Fig. 1, and showing the parts in a different position. Fig. 4 is a plan of the cam-disk on a vlarger scale, and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation answering to Fig. 3, and illustrating a slightlymodified construction. Fig. 6 is a' plan answering to Fig. 2, and illustrating a modified construction of the recordingpaper, the latter being in the form of a strip instead of a disk.

I will first describe the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4.

A designates the wind-vane, which is of any desired or suitable shape and size, and is fixed upon a vertical rotary shaft, B, which is mounted in suitablebearings and extends down through the roof of the building. (Not shown in the drawings.) Ihaveshown thelower end of this shaft as stepped in a bracket, C; but any other construction providing a suitable bearing may be adopted. 0n the shaft B, near its lower end, is fixed a camdisk, D. The shape of this disk is best shown in Fig. 4. Its

periphery has the form of a progressive spiral extending from the point a around nearly the entire circumference to the point b, which is the point of greatest projection. From the point b the spiral is departed from and the peripheral surface is somewhat abruptly contracted to a, forming what I will refer to as an inclined plane, c. The point b, of greatest projection, answers to some one point of the compass-as, for instance, east, as denoted by the letter E in the drawings. The diametrically-opposite side of the cam will then correspond to west, and the other points of the compass will answer to the respective positions indicated by the letters NE, N, NW, 85e., in Fig. 4L. Thus in traversing the spiralsurface of the cam, beginning at b, one passes successively the positions thereon correspoi'iding to the points of the compass E, NE, N, NW, W, SW, S, and SE, each point being successively nearer the center of the cam, as denoted by the dotted circles x x. After passing SE, thepoint a, of shortest radius, is reached. The spiral portion of t-he cani from b around to c is the essential part thereof, by means of which the rewhich isfuleru med at (Land one end,e, of which bears upon the periphery of the cam, while the other end, f, carries a marking device, G.

H is the paper or other surface on which the recording is done. It is fastened to a table, I, which is mounted on a rotative axis,i,Fig.1,and is rotated by means of clock-work in a box, J. The recording-paper H is marked with concentric circular lines y y, whichindicate the respective points of the compass, and with radial curved lines z z, which indicate divisions of time, and which correspond in position to therate of speed at which the table I is rotated by the clockwork.

In Fig. 2 I have shown the paper H as being divided by lines z e into three divisions, representing days. Each of these should be subdivided by the lines z z into twentyfour parts of equal width to indicate the hours of the day. For the sake of clcarness, only one of the divisions is thus subdivided in Fig. 2. The radial lines z e c e have the curve of the are of a circle described by the marking-point G from the center d, on which the lever F is fnlcrumed.

The lever F is pressed by a spring, K, so that its end e is held in contact with the pe riphery of the cam D. To red ucc friction, it is preferable to provide the end e of the lever with an anti-friction roller, g. the lever F being thus pressed against the cam, and the table l, with its graduated recording paper H, being placed in the proper position relatively to the end f of the lever, the marking-point G will coincide with the line i/ on the paperwhich corresponds tothe position of the wind-vane A. Thus, forinstanee,if the wind is blowing from the northwest, the cam D, occupying thcsame position as the vane, presents its side marked NWT to the roller g, and consequently displaces the lever F to such extent that the markingpoint G stands dircctl y over the line y on the paper, which is graduated to indicate that the wind is blowing from the northwest, as shown in Fig. 2. 'It' the wind veers around, for instance, to the south, the movement of the vane turns the cam D until its point marked S is presented against the roller g, and the lever F is moved by the spring K until its marking-point G stands over the line y, marked S; or, if the wind veers in the opposite direction, the opposite rotation ofthe cam will press outthe end e of the lever and move the marking-point G- toward the center of the recording-paper H. These movements in either direction will record on the paper H the direction of the wind until, in moving either one direction or the other,eithcr ofthe extreme points, c. or b, is presented to the roller g. 1f the movement extends past either of these points,a movement ofthe roller g and lever F takes place in the opposite direction to that at which it was previously mov ing, while the cam D continues to revolve in the same direction. Consequently, while the inclined plane c is passing the roller g, thelever F vibrates from one extreme position to the other, and its marking-point G sweeps entirely across the concentric lines of graduation on the paper. lf the marking-point were permitted to mark the paper during this movement, the indication on the paper which would be thus recorded would denote that the vane A had executed nearly an entire revolution in the opposite direction to that at which it actually did revolve, thus sweeping over nearly all the points of the compass. `In order to avoid this i'alse indication, l have devised a means for lifting the marking-point from the paper during` the time that the inclined plane c is in cohtact with the roller g. To this end the lever F is pivoted in such manner that it may be vibratedvertically, in addition to its horizontal vibration, and a cam is provided in order Vto vibrate it vertically at the proper time. This construction is best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The lever F is pivoted on a horizontal axis, Z, to the forked upper end of an oscillating post er spindle, L7 which has its bearing rlhe end c ol' 'on the vertical axis d in a Iixed socket, M.

This post is formed with alaterally-projecting arm, L', against which the spring K presses in order to impart to the lever F the requisite lateral tension for holding its roller f/ in contact with the cam D. On the upper side of the lever F, near its end c, is formed a camsnrfaee, It. (Shown in Fig. 3.) On the cam D is xed a projecting arm or pin, m, which is so arranged relatively to the inclined plane c on the cam D and to the eamsurfaee 7c and roller y on the lever F that when the inclined plane cbegins to act upon the roller g the pinm encounters the cam-surface k and presses downwardly thereupon, thereby tilting` the lever F on its horizontal axis l, and consequently lifting the markingpoint G oil' from the paper. As the movement ofthe cam D continues, the pin m continues to hold the lever F tilted as long as the inclined plane c is in engagement with the roller g, and rc leases and drops the lever at theinstant when the inclined plane passes beyond the roller. Thus by this simple means the marking-point is held oft' from the paper whenever the inclined plane c is brought against the roller g,- hence it' the cam D were rotated continuously in one direction the marking-point would describe aline upon the paper i'roni onesidc of the concentric graduations y y to the other, and be theuraised clear of" the paper and moved back across the graduations to the startingpoint, and again dropped upon the paper.

As the inclined plane c occupies an are ol' only about twenty-[ive degrees, it will rarely happen that the wind will blow in such dircction as to bring this portion ofthe cam against the roller, and consequently the indicating line upon the paper will rarely1 be interrupted. However, the ineteorologist will know, when ever the indicating-line passes to the margin of the graduationsyy/ and is then interrupted, that the wind is blowing in the direction corresponding to the position of c, or, in the arrangement of graduations shown, in a di rectionbetween E and SE.

Fig. 5 illustrates a slight modification of the construction of the lever. The vertical spindie L has fixed toits upper cnd a lever or erosshead, L, against which the spring K bears, and on which is formed a `fork, a, in which the lever F is fulcrumed on a horizontal axis, Z. The operation is the saine as already described. Many other constructions may be devised to accomplish the saine result.

Fie. (S illustrates my invention as used with a straight strip of paper, on which the rccording is effected, instead of a graduated disk of paper. This strip is drawn through beneath the markingpoint G by means of rollers fr 1', driven by clock-work contained in a box, Il.

The marking-point G may be a scoring or indenting point, apencil-point, or apen-point, as may be preferred'.

I claim as my invention the following-de IOC IIO

fined novel features and combinations, substantially as hereinbefore specified, namely:

1. In an anemoscope, the combination of a wind-vane, aspiral cam connected to said vane and deriving rotary motion therefrom, a marking-point, and a mechanical connection between said marking-point andthe 'periphery of said cam, whereby the rotation of the latter causes a lateral movement of said point.

2. In an anenioscope, the combination of a wind-vane, aspiral cam connected to said vane and turned thereby, a lever engaging the periphery of said cam, and a marking-point borne by said lever, whereby on the rotation of said cam the said lever is vibrated and motion is imparted to said markingpoint.

3. In an anemoscope, the combination of a wind-vane, aspiral cam connected to said vane and turned thereby, a marking-point, and mechanical connection between said markingpoint and the periphery of said cam, whereby the rotation of the Alatter imparts a proportional lateral movement to said point indicative of the angular position of the vane, a graduated paper or other recording medium, and clock-work for moving said paper beneath said marking-point in a direction approximately perpendicular to the direction of motion of said point.

4. In anauemoscope, the combination of a wind-vane, its rotary spindle, a spiral cam fixed on said spindle, a lever engaging the periphery of Said cam, a marking-pointborne by said lever, a graduated paper or other rccording medium, and clock-work for movingvsaid paper beneath said marking-point.

5. In an anemoscope, the combination of a wind-vane, a spiral cam connected to said vane land turned thereby, and formed on its periphery with an inclined plane, c, between the points of greatest and least projection at the opposite terminals of the spiral, aleverengaging the periphery of said cam, a marking-point carried by said lever, and means for lifting said marking-point while said inclined plane is in position to engage said lever, whereby while the lever is being vibrated by said inclined plane the marking is interrupted.

6. In an anemoscope, the combination of a wind-vane, a spiral cam connected to said vane and formed on its peripherywith an inclined plane, c, a lever engaging the periphery of Said cam, a marking-point carried by said lever, and coinciding projections on said lever and cam, respectively adapted, when the camis in such position that its inclined plane engages said lever, to tilt said lever vertically and thereby lift said marking-point, whereby While the lever is being vibrated by said inclined plane the marking is interrupted. l

Ill/,witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WALTER n. CHILDS.

Witnesses: i

FRED. W. CHILDS, GEO. II. BOND. 

